BRITISH drivers face having to fork out for a EU accident response system that MPs have already dubbed a waste of money.

The eCall system automatically notifies the emergency services after a crash

The European Parliament today voted in favour of the the £370million eCall system being introduced in 2018.

It would mean all new cars and vans would have to be fitted with devices that automatically alert the emergency services after a crash.

It is likely to be extended to buses, coaches and trucks after 2021.

MEPs claim it could save nearly 2,600 lives a year across Europe.

But Transport minister Claire Perry last year told MPs that the system was not worth the cost.

The current Government planned to try to secure an opt-out when the measure came before the EU Council of Transport ministers.

And the Transport Select Committee said the cost is likely to be passed on to motorists whether Britain takes part or not.

In December Ms Perry told the Committee: "The benefit of making it mandatory in all new cars does not justify the cost of implementing it; I believe it was something like £370-odd million."

She said that given "the increasing responsiveness of our road network" the Government did not feel that it was appropriate for the UK.

She added: "However, we are entirely happy for other member states to implement it, if it is appropriate for their own networks — perhaps if they have a less responsive emergency service, for example.

We do not support the measure, because it is not cost-effective for us, but we are very happy for it to be implemented elsewhere

Claire Perry, Transport minister

"We do not support the measure, because it is not cost-effective for us, but we are very happy for it to be implemented elsewhere."

But the Committee warned that motor manufacturers are likely to pass on the cost of eCall to UK motorists even if Britain secures an opt-out.

It also said that 6.7 million UK vehicles are driven abroad each year.

They said: "UK drivers may well pay for eCall without benefiting from it."

MEPs voted the system through after new privacy safeguards were written into the legislation.

The data gathered can only be transferred to a third party with the explicit consent of the people involved.

And the data sent to the emergency services will be confined to type of vehicle, the fuel used, the time of the accident, the exact location and the number of passengers.

The move was welcomed by car makers who said they had been pressing for it for more than a decade.

The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association Secretary General Erik Jonnaert said: “With eCall to be available on new vehicle types in April 2018, this decision brings Europe one step closer to making operational a system which we have been advocating since 2004.

“Vehicle manufacturers are committed to protecting their customers’ privacy.

"However, at the end of the day, we cannot forget that the primary purpose of eCall is safety.

"The industry feels that the final text strikes a good balance between saving lives and protecting data."

The system works by using emergency call technology to automatically alert the emergency services to serious road accidents.

This lets the emergency services decide immediately on the type and size of rescue operation needed, which in turn helps them to arrive more quickly, save lives, reduce the severity of injuries and traffic jams.

The European parliament says it could cut the annual 25,700 death toll on the roads across the EU by 10 per cent.

MEP Olga Sehnalová, who oversaw the legislation, said: "Deploying the 112-based eCall in-vehicle emergency system across the EU will help to improve road safety in all 28 member states.

"The European Parliament has repeatedly stressed that reducing deaths and the severity of injuries on the roads is its priority.

"eCall as a public service, free of charge for all citizens, irrespective of the type of vehicle or its purchase price, will contribute to this common goal."